A Different Path
by Seren Maris
Summary: Jack and Z are intergalactic bounty hunters, Syd is a pampered model, and Sky is a D-squad flunkie. Can Cruger get this motley crew to work together to defeat the evil Mirloc and his misguided protege, Bridge Carson? On hiatus.
1. Earth's Last Best Hope

A Different Path

**Chapter 1: Earth's Last Best Hope**

* * *

The announcement came from space, and was broadcast through the satellites on every TV channel, radio station, and broadcast hub on the planet.

"Hear me, Citizens of Earth. I, Mirloc, have come to conquer your pathetic planet. I will tolerate no resistance. This is your first and final warning. Surrender peacefully, and you will not be harmed. Stand in my way, and be destroyed."

Far below the spaceship of their would-be conqueror, Earth mustered its forces, and Anubis Doggie Cruger, commander of Space Patrol Delta, prepared to defend his home.

* * *

A red line streaked through the atmosphere, the small spaceship vibrating under the stress of entry. The pilot skillfully maneuvered the ship, attempting to evade his pursuers. Using the technology stolen from a military base on Altair, he locked the ship's weapons system onto his pursuers, and fired a powerful beam.

The other ship, unable to avoid the blast, was sent spinning away from him. And yet they were not destroyed, only momentarily disabled. He stifled his disappointment. His first impulse was to fire again, to finally rid himself of the hunters that had pursued him across the galaxy.

But the beam had spent too much energy, and he needed all of his fuel to make a safe landing. Escape was momentarily more pressing than revenge, so the alien bent towards his chosen task, aiming for a desolate region on the planet below.

He cast one last, longing look at his enemies' ship. Pieces of it were scattered across the sky, and their shields were down, leaving the crippled ship completely vulnerable to attack. He scowled. It was less than they deserved, but it would have to do. For now.

ooo **aboard the second ship** ooo

"Brace yourself!" Z shouted, even as they were thrown to the side by the force of the impact. Getting to her feet, she ran to the nearest panel, struggling to reroute power to essential functions before they were destroyed. Typing furiously, she managed to enable the navigational functions, and returned to the front of the ship, where Jack was desperately trying to maneuver their spacecraft.

"I can't escape the earth's atmosphere." Jack exclaimed. "We're going down!"

Taking a seat next to her partner, Z strapped herself in, and prayed for the best.

* * *

"D-squad," Cruger barked. "Report!"

D-squad lined up and saluted, their timing slightly off. Cruger frowned in disappointment at such a demonstration of incompetence. "There is an unexplained disturbance at Newlands golf course." Kat stated briskly, moving to stand next to the commander. "It looks like a ship may have landed there."

"An attack by Mirloc?"

"I don't think so," Kat replied, "But we should definitely investigate further." There was a startled moment of silence, and then the D-squad leader stepped forward. "But sir, you said we weren't ready for any assignments ...what about A squad?"

Cruger coughed pointedly. "A-squad is on an extended reconnaissance mission."

"B squad?"

The commander's ear twitched, but he said nothing.

"... C squad?"

Cruger held up his hand to forestall any further suggestions. "B and C squads are preparing for battle against Mirloc. I know what I said, Cadet Tate, but you are the only cadets we have to spare. Can you handle this?"

The D-squad cadets saluted, excited and a little apprehensive to be given some responsibility.

"Yes, Sir!"

* * *

Far above the earth, Bridge Carson stood on Mirloc's spaceship, staring out a window at the planet below him.

His empathy alerted him to his mentor's approach, long before the monster actually arrived. "What do you think?" Mirloc asked, coming to stand behind his protégé

"It's beautiful." Bridge replied truthfully, not certain whether it was an appropriate response. His empathic powers were somehow limited when it came to Mirloc, and while he could sense where the alien was, for some strange reason he could never read his mind or emotions. However, Bridge had never dwelled on this curious fact, simply accepting it as something that was. He had no reason to distrust Mirloc - after all, hadn't the alien rescued him from certain death, stranded on a barren moon?

"Perhaps." Mirloc admitted, in response to Bridge's earlier statement. "But its defenses are weak, and it will soon fall before our attacks."

Bridge was silent for a moment. "I know. But I can't help but feel that I've been here before. This place is somehow ...familiar."

"It's probably just another psychic impression." Mirloc said dismissively. "Don't dwell on it." He added, turning away before Bridge could see his troubled frown.

* * *

Z stumbled out of the smoking, twisted wreckage of the ship, Jack right behind her. Dragging herself a safe distance, she fell to her knees on the grass and gasped for air, her eyes watering from the smoke.

"Anyone hurt?" Jack asked, his inquiry interrupted by hacking coughs.

"I'm okay." Z replied, getting to her feet. "Let's get out of here."

But even as they were about to flee, they heard the sound of sirens, and were almost immediately surrounded by SPD patrol cars. "Who's in charge here?" Sky asked briskly, stepping out of his vehicle. Z and Jack both looked at each other. "She is." Jack said quickly. Z glared at him angrily, before reluctantly conceding. "I am."

Ignoring them for the moment, Sky lit his flashlight and approached the ship, taking note of the symbols decorating the sides. "Is there anyone else aboard your ship?"

"No... Sir." Z said, adding the honorific as an afterthought.

"State your name and purpose here on Earth."

"We're bounty hunters." Jack said, by way of explanation. "We're in pursuit of the criminal Xinom. You've probably heard of him."

Sky's face remained impassive.

"Or maybe not." Z mumbled, under her breath. "Some crime fighter you are." Sky ignored her and instead pressed a button on his communicator. "Commander, we've got a downed ship and two bounty hunters. They say their names are..." He looked pointedly at the two bounty hunters.

"Z." She replied reluctantly.

"Z what?" Sky demanded, a hint of irritation in his voice.

Z sighed. "...Delgado."

"Jack. Jack Landors."

There was a brief pause, and then a gruff voice spoke over the communicator. "Bring them in, cadets."

"For what?" Z said, outraged. "We haven't done anything!"

"Elizabeth Delgado and Jack Landors, under SPD article 9327 - c, you are under arrest for trespassing and wanton destruction of private property." Sky intoned stoically, used to such outbursts. "Your ship will be impounded..."

"You've got to be kidding me! It's not like we wanted to land here!"

"SPD handbook sections 253 - 4 specifically states that all aliens without a permit must be brought to SPD headquarters for evaluation - especially those who commit a punishable offense."

"So you think we're just going to go along with you to prison?" Jack said, his voice clipped with anger.

"Yes." Sky stated, characteristically unable to detect sarcasm.

"Now come quietly," threatened another cadet. "Or we'll have to make you." Z looked him up and down and scoffed, even as she prepared to make a replicant and run away.

One of the female cadets preempted her, entering a fighting stance. "Don't even try to replicate yourself, Ms. Delgado. We know all about you and your partner's powers."

Startled, Z evaluated the situation. Having lost the element of surprise, she and Jack had little chance of winning a battle against five SPD cadets, despite their youth and apparent incompetence. "I guess we don't have a choice." Jack commented, having come to the same conclusion. Reluctantly standing down, the bounty hunters surrendered, resigned to their fate.

"No," Sky said, as he handcuffed the two trespassers. "You don't."

And with that, Z and Jack allowed themselves to be led away.

* * *

"Commander!" The B-squad Red Ranger cried out in desperation, the message interspersed with static. "C-squad... mirrors... trapped... under heavy fire..." The sounds of battle filtered through the communicator. There was the blast of a powerful explosion, and the sound of someone screaming in the background. "We're hit! We're hit. I..." The ranger cried out, and then there was only silence.

The reply immediately came from SPD headquarters. "B-Squad? B-Squad, come in! C-squad, respond!" There was a tense moment of waiting, but only static on the line

"They've disappeared from the morphing grid, sir." Kat said sadly. "I think we've lost them." Cruger said nothing and waited, hoping for some sign, some indication that his cadets still survived. He stood motionless for several minutes, before slowly reaching out, and ending the transmission.

Doggie sighed, suddenly feeling very old and tired. "Keep me informed." He instructed, and left the command center.

* * *

Jack and Z were led down the long, winding hallways of SPD to the detention cells, the D-squad flanking their every move. Taking the handcuffs off the bounty hunters, Sky shot them both a distasteful glance, before locking them into individual, adjacent cells.

Z looked around the barren room: The cold metallic walls allowing for no possibility of escape, and the door was barred with unbreakable plastic. The only furnishings in the room were a ledge that served as a bed, and a spotless, but small toilet. Walking over to the toilet, she jiggled the handle, before attempting to flush it. The water gurgled, and nothing more. "Jack?" she ventured, hoping that he could hear her.

"Yes?"

"How long do you think they're going to keep us here?"

Jack shrugged, a gesture invisible to his partner. "I don't know. I guess it doesn't really matter."

Z sighed, and sat down on the narrow cot. "You're probably right. There's nothing to be done about it now."

* * *

"Ready? Action!"

Bright lights flashed, and photos were taken as a lovely blonde posed in front of the cameras. Dressed in a skimpy and rather outlandish variation of a military costume, she twirled around the catwalk, flashing a coy grin at her admirers.

"Yes, that's it!" The director cried. "Now pout! Show me the pout!"

Sydney Drew, heiress to the Darsey-Drew fortune, tossed her hair, and gave a sulky look.

"Now throw your head back and part your lips!" The photographer instructed, and then turned to an aide. "Turn on the fans!"

Running her hands through her perfect blonde curls, she transitioned into a dramatic and sensuous pose.

"That's great, Syd! Now, show me a warrior! You are a sexy soldier!"

An aide handed her an old-fashioned rifle. 'It's from the turn of the millennium.' she realized, having learned much from her uncle, an avid collector of antique weaponry. She had taken an interest in such things at a young age, and despite her feminine demeanor, Syd was an expert in several martial arts forms, and knew how to wield a weapon, and look good doing it.

But even as they began taking pictures, a distressed-looking aide, ran up to the director, and whispered urgently in his ear. The director frowned, and made a terminating motion at the photographers. "Perfect!" He said, addressing Syd. "That's enough. Take a break, everyone!"

Syd stepped off the stage, the photographers immediately crowding around her. "That was a great shoot, Syd!"

Syd gave a dazzling smile. "Thank you!"

The director clapped. "She's beautiful, rich, and gracious! What a combination! Oh, there's someone here to see you, Syd." He bent in to whisper in her ear. "They're from SPD! You're sure there isn't something you want to tell me?"

"No!" Syd exclaimed, shocked. "I didn't do anything!"

He shrugged. "I'm sure it's a mistake. But it might be better if your father resolves this."

"But they said they wanted to see me." Syd looked around for any new faces. "Where are they?"

"In the hallway. But... wait!"

Ignoring him, she exited into the hall, and walked up to the waiting SPD cadet.

"Sydney Drew?" The cadet asked, half out of duty, and half out of incredulity to be meeting such a famous person.

"Call me Syd." She said, trying not to be overly intimidating. For a girl of her stature, grace and attitude, that was very difficult.

"Alright ...Syd." He replied, blushing to be around such a pretty girl. "The commander of SPD Earth, has a proposal for you..."

* * *

Anubis Doggie Cruger strode purposefully down the hallways, surveying his domain – in this case, the headquarters of SPD Earth. "Cadet Tate." He said, greeting the D-squad cadet. "Just who I was looking for."

"Commander?" Sky asked, surprised and a little nervous. Why would the commander want to speak with him?

"Hmmm." Cruger made a growling noise within his throat, and gave Sky a calculating look. "Where did you put those bounty hunters?"

"Sir, the bounty hunters are in basement holding cells J and K." Sky said confidently, unaccountably relieved.

Cruger began to walk, and gestured for Sky to follow him. "What's your impression of them?"

"They were brought here for committing a crime." Sky replied, startled. "Should I have an opinion?" The commander said nothing, only continued walking - forcing Sky to run to catch up with him.

"With all due respect sir," Sky elucidated, afraid that he had somehow displeased his superior officer, "I don't know them very well. However, I'd imagine that the only things they respect would be brute force, money and each other. I suppose they fight crime in their own way, but overall I think they can't be trusted. Bounty hunters are notoriously opportunistic."

"Yes," Cruger said to himself. "I'm counting on that."

"Sir?"

The commander shook his head. "Nothing, cadet."

* * *

Finally arriving at the basement level, Cruger and Sky walked past several cells, each holding recently detained prisoners who shouted obscenities and shook the bars as the commander passed.

Ignoring the others, Cruger and Sky paused in front of Z and Jack's cells. The bounty hunters were waiting dejectedly, looking decidedly unhappy about the current turn of events. Cruger stood where both could see him, and cleared his throat pointedly. "I am Commander Anubis Cruger." He stated calmly.

Z made a disgusted face, and looked like she was about to give him a piece of her mind. Thinking better of it at the last moment, she pursed her lips, and stood with her arms crossed, waiting for him to make a statement.

Cruger arched his eyebrows at the temperamental bounty hunter, his estimation of the girl going up a notch. "In light of your talents and your particular," he coughed for emphasis, "...crimes, I'm prepared to offer you a bargain."

"But sir!" Sky interrupted, shocked. "SPD regulation 45.2 - 6 says that no prisoners can be offered..."

"There's more to being an officer than reading the handbook, Cadet Tate." Cruger barked, cutting him off. "Dismissed!"

Sky blushed in embarrassment at the public reprimand, saluted smartly and hastily left the level. Jack suppressed a grin, pleased to see the arrogant cadet put in his place. 'Dissed...' He thought, before turning back to the commander. "Look ...Cruger, was it? You have us in here on trumped up charges. So why don't you just give our ship back, and we'll pay the fine and be out of your ...fur ...by morning."

Cruger shook his head, giving Jack a toothy half-grin. He had seen his type before, and was not going to be intimidated. "We searched your ship. We have more than enough evidence to get you booked as smugglers on top of your current charges."

"So you're just going to leave us to rot in prison?"

"That's up to you." Cruger said, confident that he now had the upper hand. "As I said, I'm here to offer you a deal that both of us might find profitable."

Z lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, pointedly dismissing the SPD commander. "You don't know what profitable is."

"14 Menkalinan crystals." Cruger stated. "A month."

Z and Jack both stood up straighter at the mention of such a large sum. Jack spoke for them both. "What do you want us to do?"

* * *

Still stinging from the cutting dismissal, Sky wandered down the hallways towards the quarters he shared with three other D-squad boys. Passing the training rooms, he heard nothing but silence, which was exceedingly odd. 'Why is this place so empty?' Sky wondered. 'Where is everyone?'

He sighed. 'Cruger is displeased with me. Again. I can't do anything right.' Entering the room, he sat down on the edge of the bed, and picked up the picture of his father on the bedside table. In it, his father and Sky were standing together, his dad in the distinctive uniform of the A-squad Red Ranger. "I don't know how you did it, dad." Sky said softly. "I can't even seem to make C-squad. Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a ranger."

Turning slightly, he noticed that his desk had a large white box on it, as well as a formal message. Carefully unfolding the note, he read:

_Report to the Delta Command Center at 17:30 hours for an important briefing. Your uniform is enclosed._

As he opened the package, Sky's breath caught in his throat. Was that ...a C-squad uniform? No, it was a uniform for the B-squad blue ranger! Sky crushed his burgeoning hope immediately. There must be some mistake. Someone would have told him earlier if he had been promoted.

But this uniform was new, and certainly didn't belong to the current blue B-squad ranger. And if he was getting sent to B-squad, was she being sent to A-squad? He hoped so. She was twice the cadet he'd ever be.

Sky rubbed his eyes, willing himself to wake up. Nothing happened. He didn't know what was going on, but there was nothing to do but go to the briefing and find out.

* * *

Syd, Z, Jack and Sky stood in the command center, all dressed in their new uniforms. Lined up in ranking order, they stood at attention, occasionally casting covert glances at their fellow teammates.

Cruger paced in front of them, observing their expressions. Sky seemed vaguely terrified, as if he was in a dream from which he would suddenly awaken. Syd seemed shocked to just be inside SPD headquarters, while Jack and Z looked both sulky and fascinated at turns. Jack squirmed, tugging at the neckline of his new uniform, only to fall in line at a pointed glare from Cruger.

The commander stopped pacing, and turned to face the new recruits. "You have been brought here to serve Earth as the new B-squad. With the A-squad gone, you are Earth's first, last and only line of defense. If you do not stand against Mirloc, no one will. You four are humanity's best hope."

The new Power Rangers all stared at each other, and then gave Cruger comically doubtful looks.

Kat shook her head and spoke under her breath. "We're doomed."

* * *

_A/N: So...what do you think? Please review! _


	2. Pocket Money

A Different Path

**Chapter 2: Pocket Money**

* * *

Access to the recreation room was a privilege granted to only A and B-squad cadets. It was also a privilege which Sky was determined to take advantage of – if only to make up for four years in which the only form of on-base entertainment was the occasional poker game in the D-squad dorms.

Therefore, the first morning after his promotion, Sky headed towards the rec room, intending to celebrate his good fortune in the only way he know how – alone, with the handbook as his trusty companion.

To his great surprise, two of his other squad members were already there – and speaking so loudly that he could hear them from the hallways. "Ten-thousand fifteen, ten-thousand one-hundred and fifteen, ten-thousand two-hundred and twenty-five…" recited a feminine voice. "Jack, this isn't enough."

Determined to look unconcerned, Sky entered the room, making every effort to appear as if he hadn't been eavesdropping. Unfortunately, after a few minutes of hearing Z count, his curiosity got the better of him. "Not enough for what?" He asked, torn between friendly curiosity and suspicion.

Z and Jack both looked at each other, and Sky sensed that they were sharing some form of private, sub-verbal communication. Then Jack twisted around in the chair, and gave Sky a hostile glare. "I don't think she was talking to you." Said the new red ranger, in a curt tone that allowed for no argument.

Sky sniffed. Was he really expected to serve under this self-serving jerk? Cruger had to be out of his mind! Picking a seat as far from the pair as possible, he sat down and opened his handbook on a random page.

'_Section 104.6 - B'_ he read. '_Disputes between cadets shall be handled by their squad leaders. If a resolution is not possible, involved cadets shall be referred to their section commander._'

'Even the handbook has turned against me.' Sky thought mournfully. Tossing the traitorous text aside, he slouched further down into his chair, now in an even fouler mood than before. It was then he realized that something – or someone – was missing. "Where's Syd?" He asked abruptly, to no one in particular.

Z shrugged. "Last time I saw her, she was heading towards the bathroom." She glanced at the clock. "That was three hours ago."

An uncomfortable silence ensued. 'I guess I'd better get used to this.' Sky considered morosely, his joy in his promotion diminished by the thought of spending extended periods of time with his new teammates. "Well." Jack commented, interrupting his thoughts. "As fun as this get-together has been, we must be going."

"Where…" Sky cut himself off, forcibly reminding himself that what they did on off-hours was none of his business. "Remember, you're on duty at 1600 hours." Snatching the red morpher from where it had been carelessly abandoned on a nearby couch, he tossed it to its (wholly undeserving) owner. "And don't forget your morphers."

Jack mockingly saluted him, did a sharp military turn and left the room. Z paused at the doorway. "Don't mind him." She said. "He's kind of anti-authority." Z waited for his reply, hoping for some form of acknowledgement that would help her mend relations between the three rangers. Seconds passed, and Sky said nothing. 'Men are so stubborn.' She thought and turned away, hurrying to catch up with her partner.

'Good riddance!' Sky thought angrily as the door slid shut behind her. He turned the TV on top volume. 'If I had thought this was what being a power ranger was going to be like, I would have stayed in D-squad.'

* * *

Their target rounded the corner, running at top speed. Jack and Z hurried to catch up, only to discover that the alien had eluded them, and disappeared down one of the branching alleyways. "Okay." Jack said. "I'll go this way, and you search the other four passageways."

Z nodded, quickly forming three replicants. The original Z went down the narrow alley to the left, and was pleasantly surprised when she caught sight of the alien, trying to hide between two dumpsters.

Sneaking closer to her target, she reached out and slammed the alien against the wall. "Got you!" She crowed triumphantly. Pressing a button on her communicator, she spoke into the device. "I got him, Jack."

"I'll be right there." Came the reply. The two devices were a matching set, a gift from an Alzirran nobleman, in payment for their services. She still felt somewhat bad for his son-in-law, but hey – business, was business, right?

She turned her attention back to the panicked alien. "No!" He cried, struggling to get away. Realizing that he would never escape should her partner arrive, he struck out with surprising strength at Z, knocking the wind out of the bounty hunter.

Recovering quickly, she threw a round kick at the alien, who was sent flying backwards into the wall. Sliding to the ground, he barely managed to avoid a vicious kick at his midsection, and rolled away from her. Getting to his feet, he began to flee, only to find the alley blocked by a particularly annoyed-looking Jack.

"Z, are you alright?" Jack asked, grabbing the alien by his shirt, and shoving him against the wall. "I'm fine," Z replied. She took a closer look at their captive. "And look who we've found!"

Jack gave a predatory grin. "Hello, Piggy. Did you really think you could escape from us?"

"Oh! Z and …Jack." Piggy said, his voice sinking in dismay. "I didn't know it was you."

Z put her hands on her hips, and pursed her lips. "You didn't think we'd forgotten, had you?"

"Ah… come on, guys." Piggy reasoned. "Can't we just let bygones be bygones and forget about that little incident with the Supreme Commander and the Naoshan tentacle plant?"

"How about not?" Jack said, tightening his grip on the alien. Piggy gasped as Jack began to cut off his air supply. "Look, you don't want to do this. Word on the street is that you're cops!"

"We're off duty." Jack replied tonelessly.

"Wait!" Piggy cried. "I can help you. I have information. Very valuable information."

"What kind of information?" Z asked, curious. Jack tightened his grip. "A bounty." Piggy choked. "A bounty so big, that you'll be set for life."

"And what do you want in exchange for this …information?" Jack asked, dubious. Piggy was hardly the most reliable source in the galaxy, as he well knew. Piggy shrugged. "I'd think that would be obvious. I tell you, and we can just forget about our little problem. You let me go, and we can be …friends. Yes, friends!"

"Tell us about this bounty," Z said, "and we'll think about it."

Piggy shook his head. In his lifetime, he had been called many things. Stupid, however, was not one of them. "Not so fast." He replied. "Promise me that if this information is worth more than my life, you'll let me go."

"Fine." Jack said offhandedly. "Now spit it out." He shook Piggy again for good measure.

"Okay, okay!" Piggy said, giving up. Under the circumstances, this was obviously the best deal he was going to get. "Not much is known about the client, but word is that he's offering huge bounty for this one girl, a human living right here in Newtech City."

Reaching inside a hidden pocket, Piggy pulled out a grimy piece of paper. "This is a description of the girl. Simple, huh? You turn her in, make lots of money, and we can all be friends."

Jack snatched the paper from Piggy's hands, and quickly scanned it. "Wait a second! This thing doesn't have a name or anything. How are we supposed to find her?"

Z snorted. "It's a trick. Definitely."

"Deal's off!" Jack snapped, obviously sharing Z's opinion. "You're coming with us!"

"No, wait!" Piggy said, growing more desperate by the minute. "I'll even throw in the location, a genetic identifier, and the teleport beacon. Everything you need. Now will you let me go?"

The two bounty hunters looked at each other.

"Jack," Z commented cautiously. "I don't think this bounty is legit."

"Z! You aren't thinking clearly. With this kind of money, we wouldn't need to work for Cruger anymore. We could go anywhere in the galaxy, and SPD would never find us!"

"But…" Z began to object, and then remembered how Sky had ignored her, and how Cruger had forced them into service. "You're right. Let's do this."

Jack turned to his captive, relaxing his hold. "You've got a deal, Piggy."

Piggy nodded, relieved. "Great! My sources tell me that the girl goes to XI Gym later this morning. The identifier," he said, handing the device over with a flourish, "is yours. This," he gestured at the circular beacon, "will teleport you to the client's place for delivery."

The more technically skilled of the pair, Z examined the machines. They seemed to work properly – but then again, you could never tell until you actually used them. She told Jack as much, but he had already made up his mind.

"Get going." Jack said, releasing Piggy.

"Thank you, thank you!" Piggy replied, expressing his gratitude both towards his captors and whatever deity had spared his life. Casting a final glance at the Jack and Z, Piggy ran off without looking back.

Now alone, Z looked at the genetic identifier, and shook her head. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Jack turned around. "Huh? I didn't hear you."

"It's nothing."

* * *

The bounty hunters waited across the street from XI gym, trying to look inconspicuous. Jack peeked out from behind a newspaper, trying to both examine all the women who left the gym and look wholly unconcerned. "Is that her?" He whispered impatiently.

Z rolled her eyes, a gesture made invisible by her dark sunglasses. "The description says blonde!" she hissed at her partner, exasperated. "That girl was a brunette!"

"Right." Jack said, and went back watching the exit. A few moments later, a blonde girl left the gym and began to walk down the street, on the opposite side from the bounty hunters.

Z glanced at the description. She hadn't seen the girl's face, but the rest of the description, down to possible outfits, matched perfectly. "I think that's her!" She whispered, and the pair began to stalk their target, watching her every move.

They followed her until the crowds thinned out, and they were the only people on the street. As the blonde passed a narrow alleyway, Z shoved her from behind and swung her into the wall. The girl cried out and struggled but Jack, prepared for such a reaction, quickly pulled out a syringe, and injected her with a powerful sedative.

Not willing to take any chances, the bounty hunters put a dark sack over her head, effectively preventing her from identifying her kidnappers. 'Not like she'll have much of a chance.' Jack thought cynically, holding the limp girl upright as Z pulled out the genetic identifier. Taking a sample from a patch of bare skin, Z anxiously watched the indicators lights on the identifier. "It's a match!"

Activating the transport beacon, the three were quickly teleported away.

* * *

Jack, Z and their unconscious captive were teleported to a gleaming room, only to be immediately surrounded by heavily armed guards.

"Friendly bunch, huh?" Z commented.

Ignoring her, Jack took a step forward and presented their prisoner. "We have something you want."

A tall alien stepped from behind the guards. Dressed in an overpriced suit, he could easily have fit in amongst the elite of Earth – except, perhaps for his green eyes, grey skin and sculpted, pointy skull. Evaluating the bounty hunters in a single glance, he dismissed them as unimportant just as quickly. "You may call me Chiaggo." He said with a sneer. "We have been waiting for you. Follow me."

Seeing no other option, they followed their host down a long hallway into a large room. Along the walls, Jack could see the shadowy figures of even more guards – who were, if possible, more hostile and heavily armed than the last group.

Pulling out his own genetic identifier, Chiaggo repeated the test on their captive, and whispered the results in his boss's ear."Excellent." Said the mysterious client, still facing away from the bounty hunters. "She is the one. You will be rewarded for your services. I am certain that you will find this to be more than sufficient."

One of his subordinates handed Jack a tiny disk, no doubt containing the routing information for their reward. Pulling a tiny device from his pocket, Jack verified the funds, and smiled tightly. "Fine." He said, handing the girl over to the guards. "Z, let's go."

* * *

They reappeared amidst the bushes of an isolated park, on the opposite side of town from SPD headquarters. Brushing leaves and thorny branches out of their way, the pair stumbled to the road, and hailed a taxi.

Z glanced at her watch. "It's almost 3:30!" she said, dismayed.

"We won't be late." Jack replied confidently. "It'll be fine."

Hopping into the car, they directed the driver toward SPD headquarters, secure in the knowledge that they now had the resources to escape SPD Earth and its commander, Anubis Doggie Cruger.

B-squad lined up in the command center for their 4 o'clock briefing. That is – most of B-squad lined up and saluted their commander – all except one."Cadet Landors!" Cruger barked. "Where is Cadet Drew?"

Jack jumped, startled. "I don't know, sir!"

Cruger stopped pacing, and paused in front of Jack, a frown on his face. "As red ranger, it is your responsibility to keep track of your team members! Now, can anyone tell me where Cadet Drew is?"

"Sir!" Sky said. "I haven't seen her since this morning."

"Last time I saw her," Z mused thoughtfully, "she was in the bathroom."

"And when was this?" Cruger inquired, a hint of impatience in his voice.

Z shrugged. "8 o'clock, maybe."

Suddenly feeling a bit concerned, the commander turned to Kat. "Kat, can you use the computer to locate Cadet Drew?"

Kat shook her head. "Syd is not in SPD headquarters." There was a brief silence, and then one of Kat's assistants stepped forward. "Excuse me, commander." Sophie said respectfully. "Cadet Drew went to the gym this morning. But …she should have been back hours ago."

"Thank you, Sophie." Cruger replied. Why hadn't he promoted her to B-squad, instead of one of these incompetents? Oh yes, that's right. Kat needed her help with the computers. Lamenting lost opportunities, Doggie turned to his newly-formed squad. "Cadets! One of your squad is missing! This is your first assignment. Find your team member, and bring her safely back to SPD!"

"Yes, sir!" They all said, saluting their commander.

"Sophie," Doggie asked. "Did she say which gym she went to?" Sophie nodded. "It's on the east side of town. I think it's called XI Gym."

The two bounty hunters gulped anxiously, and looked vaguely nauseous. "I knew that was a bad idea!" Z whispered to Jack.

"Cadet Delgado!" Cruger snapped, his sharp ears catching her comment. "Is there anything you wish to share with us?"

"Ah… no." Z replied hesitantly. "No, sir!"

"Sir!" Jack stepped forward. "Permission to pursue our own leads?"

Sky glared at the new red ranger. "What kind of leader are you! You…"

"Permission granted." Cruger said, interrupting Sky's tirade.

"But sir!" the blue ranger objected. 'It's not fair!' he fumed. 'Why does Cruger always dismiss me – and in favor of him?' Sky shot Jack a poisonous glance, which was not lost on Cruger.

"Sky," Doggie barked. "You will work with Kat." He met each of the ranger's eyes in turn. "Dismissed!"

* * *

After their dismissal from the commander center, Z and Jack hurried into an empty side room, locking the door behind them.

"We shouldn't have taken that bounty, Jack!" Z said forcefully, guilt crushing down on her. She knew that kidnapping that girl was the wrong thing to do, but it had somehow seemed less terrible when it involved a stranger, rather than one of their squad members.

"We don't even know it was her." Jack argued. "It could have been someone else."

"Get real, Jack! What are the chances of there being two kidnappings in a single day from one gym!"

"Well… okay." Jack grimaced. "But we got the money. We can just leave now. Z, this is no longer our problem."

"So you think we should just fly off and leave her?" Z said, a hint of outrage in her voice.

"I know it sounds terrible, but Sky and the others can handle this. They don't need us! They don't even want us here!"

"But that doesn't make it right!" Z snapped angrily. At Jack's hurt look, Z shoulder slumped, visibly deflated. She sighed, giving in. "Let's go get our ship." They turned to walk towards the docking bay, where their ship was being held. Security in that area was lax, and Jack was certain that they could escape. But then what?

Suddenly, freedom from SPD didn't look so attractive. As hardened as life had made him, Jack wasn't heartless, and he knew, deep down inside, that if he should leave Syd in the hands of those criminals, he would never be able to forgive himself. Stopping dead in his tracks, he turned to Z.

"You're right. I can't do this."

"Me neither."

"Then let's go find our teammate."

* * *

The streets outside XI gym were exceedingly crowded, even in the middle of the afternoon. Questioning all possible witnesses would be a difficult task for an entire squad – for a single cadet, it was impossible.

Sky snagged a passerby by the sleeve. "SPD. Have you seen this girl?"

"No." Said the civilian, obviously in a hurry to get to his destination. "No, sorry."And that was how it went, for nearly an hour. 'Damn bounty hunters.' Sky thought. 'If I had some help…'

His morpher beeped urgently, and Sky pressed a button, allowing him to communicate with SPD headquarters."Sky?" Kat inquired, her voice somewhat distorted. "Come in, Sky."

"I'm here." He responded sourly, unable to keep a note of dissatisfaction from his voice. If Kat noticed, however, she ignored him and continued with the message. "I've been studying the signal from Syd's morpher. Before the signal disappeared, I traced it to an office building on 367 East Hanley Lane. There's an abandoned entrance at the back. That's our best bet."

"I'm on it." Sky said, glad to be making some progress.

"Sky?" Kat continued, after a moment of silence.

"Yes?"

"To avoid detection, you'll have to travel through the pipes."

"Got it."

* * *

Jack peered over his partner's shoulder, trying not to break her concentration as she fiddled with the circuitry of the teleport beacon. "What are you doing? He whispered.

Z replied without looking up. "I should be able to modify this teleport beacon to work again."

Jack nodded and watched his partner work. Z stuck her tongue out in concentration, and sparks flew from the tiny machine."There. Got it!" She looked up. "Are you ready?"

Jack nodded, determined. "Anytime."

* * *

Unsurprisingly, they were teleported to the exact location as before – alien minion, armed goons and all. "What are you doing here?" Chiaggo demanded angrily. For a moment, it looked like he was going to give Jack and Z a chance to explain themselves. But then someone caught sight of their morphers, and all hell broke loose.

"They're from SPD! Kill them both!" Someone shouted. In the ensuing mayhem, someone pressed an alarm button, and all the doors slammed shut.

Z shrugged. "Well, now's as good a time as any."

"Ready! SPD Emergency!"

* * *

As bounty hunters they were formidable opponents, but with their skills augmented by their morphers, they were practically unstoppable. Together, Z and Jack made quick work of the first group of guards.

Chiaggo proved to be a mediocre fighter and was quickly taken out by a blast from Z's laser gun. Taking the key card from his unconscious body, Z and Jack continued onwards, hurrying to face the man who (Jack was vaguely sickened at the thought) they had sold Syd to.

* * *

"Which way now?" Sky asked, coming to a fork in the tunnel.

"Left." Kat replied. "No, your other left!"

Misjudging the available space, Sky tried to turn around, only to smack his shoulder on the wall. Loosened by the impact, his morpher somehow came loose, clattering to the ground.

The sound echoed down the metal passageway, and Sky held his breath, hoping that no one could hear him. After a moment of silence he picked up the device and continued onwards, crawling through the narrow tunnels.

* * *

"Hand Syd over," Jack grated to the man's back. "And we won't have to hurt you."

The criminal simply laughed and slowly turned around in his chair. Jack was surprised to note that he was human. 'It's not only aliens who are criminals,' He reminded himself. 'With yourself as an example?' nagged his inner voice. Ignoring the whispers of his conscience, he turned his attention back to their opponent.

"That will not be possible." The man said, getting to his feet.

Acting on instinct, Jack and Z dove to the side, an instant before the guards opened fire. Seeing no place to take cover, the rangers were forced to doge and weave to evade the blasts. Z created several replicants, drawing fire away from Jack – while the red ranger concentrated on taking out the guards.

By the time it was over, both Z and Jack were panting heavily with exertion. Ignoring their own fatigue, they turned to face the crime lord.

"Very well." The man hissed, pulling a strange device out of his suit pocket. Z got a glimpse of a two mirrors, connected by a hinge. One of the mirrors was reflective, but the other was pitch black.

As he aligned the mirrors, there was a flash of light, temporarily blinding the rangers. When their vision returned, the room was filled with shadowy figures, dark humanoid forms with ever-shifting faces. "It's time for you to meet… the reflectodrones!"

"Now that's just creepy." Jack commented. "What are those_ things_?"

"A gift," sneered the criminal, "from a mutual acquaintance. Reflectodrones, attack!"

* * *

Quickly drawing the guns from his belt, Jack opened fire on the shadowy monsters. Although the blasts hit the first few creatures, the survivors quickly adapted and managed to skillfully evade most of his attacks. 'They're fast.' Jack thought. 'But even these creatures must have a weakness…'

Grabbing one reflectodrone by the arm, he sent it flying into its companions. To his great surprise, the fallen creatures didn't get up, only dissolved into the shadows, as if they had never existed. "They're quick, but weak." He concluded. Drawing his sword, he renewed the attack, throwing himself at the nearest opponent.

Sometime during the battle, Z had become separated from Jack, and found herself on the sidelines of the fray. Instead of immediately diving in to help her partner, the yellow ranger did a quick tally in her head. 'Twelve of you, two of us. That's not exactly fair, is it? Let's even the odds.'

Pushing her powers to their maximum potential, Z managed to create ten replicants and set each to engage a different reflectodrone.

* * *

Faced with two power rangers and ten replicants, the last reflectodrone gave an inhuman shriek and dissolved into nothingness. The instant it was defeated, there was a loud cracking sound and the strange mirror shattered into a million pieces.

Shocked, the criminal stared at the pieces, and then up at the Power Rangers. "No! Wait! I can make you another offer. A better one." he bargained, hoping to appeal to the more materialistic impulses of his opponents. They were bounty hunters, after all. Or was this all an elaborate trap? He wouldn't put it beyond SPD.

"Not a chance!" Jack replied confidently. "Judgment Mode!"

Trapped in the blackened alter-dimension, the criminal could only wait, trapped as the machine flickered back and forth between green and red, innocent and guilty. The outcome was as inevitable as it was obvious.

"Guilty!" Jack announced forcefully.

"No!" the criminal cried and tried to run, freed from the alter-dimension. There was no escape. Z and Jack simultaneously took aim at the fleeing figure, and fired. There was a large explosion, and then the man was gone – and in his place was a thin containment card.

Z shook the card curiously, and put it up to her ear. If she listened very closely, she could hear the ranting of the miniaturized criminal. "This can't be happening!" Squeaked the tiny voice.

She tossed the card to Jack, and the red ranger examined it, giving a boyish grin. "I always wanted to do that." He confessed apologetically.

His smile was contagious, and Z soon found herself grinning right along with him. "That's enough, hot shot. Let's go get Syd."

* * *

Sky crawled along the air duct, muffling a violent sneeze as a foul smell came drifting up from the ducts. A trip through the sewers and then the ventilation systems had left Sky ruffled, dusty, and smelling like a garbage disposal. Sky sniffed his sleeve and wrinkled his nose in distaste. 'At least Kat found a better way to trace Syd.' Sky thought. 'Otherwise, I'd have to personally search every room in this building."

"You're almost there." Kat commented from his communicator. "She should be directly to your right."

Kicking out the adjacent grate, Sky crawled from the vent. Finding himself in a small room, his eyes were immediately drawn to a slim figure, who sat at the middle of the room, blindfolded and gagged. "Mmph! Gruh!" mumbled Syd, struggling to get free.

"It's okay." Sky said, relieved. "I've come to rescue you."

But before he could free her, he heard footsteps and two people burst through the door. Sky braced himself for a fight, but then noticed that they were also power rangers – and his partners, at that.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, surprised and a little relieved. "And how…" His tone turned to suspicion. "How did you know where to go?"

"Power down." Jack said uneasily. Ignoring Sky for the moment, he strode over to Syd and cut her free. The pink ranger grimaced painfully, and rubbed her hands to restore circulation. Jack was pleased to note that, despite her ordeal, she seemed none the worse for wear.

Sky tensed, fully expecting Jack to gloat, or at least make some uncharitable comment about his own rescue attempt. He was surprised when Jack backed up a few steps, and hung his head in shame. "We were the ones who kidnapped you." The red ranger began apologetically, addressing Syd. "There was a bounty, and…"

"What!" Syd demanded, outraged. Walking up to Jack, she paused in front of the red ranger, intently studying his face. "I trusted you!" She yelled, and slapped him as hard as she could

Jack put a hand to his stinging cheek, only to find himself trapped in Syd's embrace. "Thank you," She whispered in his ear. "Thanks for coming back for me." Jack was mortified to note that he was enjoying her embrace, and blushed bright red.

Across the room, Sky and Z made disgusted noises and rolled their eyes.

'Hopeless. All of them,' Sky thought, and prepared to return to SPD headquarters.

* * *

" …and that's how it happened." Jack finished his tale, leaving out the part where Syd hugged him. Pulling the crime lord's card out of his pocket, he handed it to Cruger, and stared at the pointedly at the ground.

"Cadet Landors!" Cruger growled, forcing Jack to look at him. "I am very disappointed in you, and in Cadet Delgado. As SPD officers, your duties supersede any other pursuits. Your behavior not only led to the kidnapping of one of your teammates, but is serious enough to warrant criminal charges!"

He waited, and was somewhat pleased to hear both Syd and Sky's objections. 'Maybe they'll be able to work as a team after all,' Cruger considered. But for now, it was his duty to punish the delinquent cadets. He help up his hand, and the rangers fell silent. "However," he continued, "since you ultimately stood by your teammate, and did the right thing, I will give you a light punishment."

This time, Sky was the only one who objected. "But sir!"

"Kitchen duty." Doggie interrupted. "For a month."

Jack and Z groaned, visualizing stacks of dirty dishes and un-chopped onions. Cruger gave them an amused look, easily reading their horrified expressions. "Dismissed!"

* * *

Dish washing was usually a task allotted to machines, or disobedient D-squad cadets. As the chef had gleefully told them, they were the first B-squad rangers to serve in her kitchen, and she set them to work doing the hardest tasks she could muster. Within ten minutes, Z had discovered a newfound appreciation for disposable plates.

Jack turned to Z, stifling a laugh at the image she presented. The yellow ranger was completely soaked, her hair clinging to her face in wet, dirty strands. Jack was forcibly reminded of the drenched street rat he had befriended, all those years ago. "Z, could you pass me that pot?"

The pot in question was hideously dirty, coated with grease and scum. Z gingerly lifted it by the handles, and handed it to Jack. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the chef, who cheerfully poked her head in the back room. "Keep scrubbing!" She admonished.

Jack mumbled something about kitchen Nazis, and picked up the sponge, half-heartedly swiping at the stains on his uniform. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone come to stand in the doorway.

"Look," Jack said tiredly. "We're working as fast as we can."

"I know." Syd replied softly. Walking to an adjacent sink, the pink ranger tied her hair back, and picked up a sponge.

He didn't have to ask. She did it because she wanted to.


	3. Body Swap, Part 1

_This chapter is for BraveRadin, who inspired me to update this story after so many years. Thank you! Also, a __giant thank you to my beta reader, Hybryd0._

A Different Path

**Chapter 3: Body Swap, Part 1**

* * *

For once, it was a slow day at SPD. There had been no monster attacks, no briefings by Cruger, and no early morning training sessions with Kat. Jack liked to think of it as a vacation -- if he was really lucky, maybe Mirloc would decide that the Earth wasn't worth conquering and move on to another planet.

'Even if Mirloc left, Cruger would find some excuse to keep me around,' Jack thought. At this rate, he was probably going to be stuck working for S.P.D. until he turned thirty. At least the job had its perks: decent pay, top-of the line equipment, a room of his own and as much free food as he could eat.

Jack reached for another handful of popcorn and tried to pay attention to whatever show Syd was watching. Soon tiring of the parade of fancy clothes and elaborate hair styles, he looked around for other diversions. His eyes fell on Sky, who had spent at least the last hour slowly leafing through the handbook. Jack got up from the couch, ever-so-casually walked across the room and snatched the book.

"I was reading that," Sky said. He made a grab for the handbook but Jack held it just out of reach.

The cover of Sky's handbook was soft and well-worn. Jack opened the book to a random page and squinted at the tiny, neat handwriting around the edges. "Hey," he said, "what's so interesting about this thing?"

Yes, he had his own copy, and he had even tried to read it… once. Sky, however, seemed completely obsessed with the handbook. He wouldn't be surprised if the blue ranger knew every line and regulation by heart.

"That _thing_ is the foundation of SPD," Sky said. He snatched the book back and glared at Jack. "Don't you have someone else to bother?"

"Nope," Jack said, unperturbed. "But you didn't answer my question. Why do you care about SPD so much? It's just a book of stupid rules."

"It's personal," Sky said, "and it's none of your business."

"I order you to tell me."

"You can't do that," Sky said, looking a little smug. "Unless it's an issue of planetary security, I don't have to tell you anything. And if you had actually read the handbook you would know that."

Jack was just about to argue with him when the alarm sounded. "Rangers! Report to the command center!"

'So much for a vacation.' Jack thought glumly as he shuffled out of the room. Noticing Sky's relief at the interruption, he made a mental note to follow up on their discussion.

He didn't like secrets, and he didn't like Sky. As far as he could tell, both together were the worst possible combination.

* * *

Cruger watched as the four rangers, his front-line defenders against Mirloc, filed into the command center. The teenagers stood at attention and saluted. Z almost saluted with the wrong hand but caught herself just in time.

Cruger sighed. Training a new ranger team took time and that was the one thing they didn't have. A unified force had to fight Mirloc – and all of humanity was depending on the skills of an untrained, mismatched team.

"So whose alien butt do we get to kick this time?" Jack asked. The cadets in the command center paused in their work and gawked. Very few people ever dared to speak to the Commander in such a disrespectful way!

Cruger said nothing, only glared at the insolent cadet.

"Sorry, sir," Jack mumbled. The commander was in a bad mood. That seemed to happen more and more often, as the threat from Mirloc grew. Not like Jack could blame him – having his planet under threat by a galaxy-conquering monster was enough to get under anyone's scales.

"His name is Hothos." Kat began the briefing, pointing at the hologram of an alien with far more eyes than Jack thought were necessary. "He's from the planet Mesarthin IV. Little is known about his species, but it can be safely assumed that he is armed and extremely dangerous."

Cruger stepped forward. "Hothos has been spotted in downtown Newtech city. Considering the situation with Mirloc, he must not be allowed to escape."

"He won't." Sky said grimly and the other rangers nodded.

"Be careful, rangers." Kat held up a cautioning hand. "He is wanted on 26 planets for crimes ranging from kidnapping to murder. Many have tried to contain him, but none have succeeded."

"We can handle it," Jack said. "We're ready for anything he's got!"

* * *

The one good thing, Jack reflected, about being SPD rather than a bounty hunter, was that your targets tended to be conspicuous. He supposed there was no point even trying to hide when you were green and had tentacles for hair – and besides, the criminals they captured tended to be the wanton-destruction types.

This one was no exception. The rangers simply went the opposite direction of the screaming civilians.

They found Hothos in the center of the plaza, a terrified businessman caught in his grasp. 'Just in time.' Jack thought, drawing his blaster. Carefully aiming, he fired on the monster, who released his captive and staggered backwards a few steps.

"Stop right there!" Jack pulled out his morpher. "Ready!"

"Ready!"

"SPD Emergency!"

If the criminal was at all intimidated, he didn't show it. "I will never surrender to SPD," Hothos declared scornfully and drew a plain black rod from his long coat.

'It's a shock baton,' Jack realized, an instant too late to warn the others. The monster swung the baton in an arc, sending a wide blast of electricity towards the rangers. Taken by surprise, the four rangers were thrown backwards several feet. For a moment, Earth's last defenders lay stunned.

Jack gritted his teeth as electricity tore through his body. His suit deflected the worst of the blast but still, for a few long seconds, he saw stars and everything went white.

Sky was the first to recover. He drew his striker and charged at the criminal with a yell, only to be sent flying into the plaza fountain. Syd and Z rushed to defend him. One aimed high, the other aimed low, and both were taken out by a sweep of the shock baton.

"I won't let you defeat us," Jack said. "We have to pull it together, guys!"

Stumbling back into formation, the four rangers drew their blasters and fired on the monster as a team, following their attack with a flurry of blows from their strikers. A well-aimed kick from Jack sent the baton clattering to the ground, and the monster retreated a few steps and fell to one knee.

"It's all over for you!" Jack exclaimed, but the alien didn't reply. Instead, he held out both hands and, before the ranger could react, a bright wave of energy emanated from the alien.

The four rangers reeled, disoriented. Jack saw the blurry outline of the criminal fleeing down a side street and tried to follow, but his legs wouldn't obey. Instead, he sunk to the ground, darkness closing in around him.

* * *

Sky blinked, his sight slowly returning. Getting unsteadily to his feet, he noticed immediately two things. First, he was unmorphed. Second, his head throbbed mercilessly, a stab of agony accompanying every heartbeat.

"What happened?" he groaned. He didn't remember powering down and the criminal hadn't been confined—in fact, Hothos was nowhere to be seen. Sky put a hand to his aching head. That was when he noticed the third, and most important thing. His hair had changed. He had dreadlocks.

Sky started at his hands in panic. "Oh, no. This can't be happening!"

"What's going on?" Jack asked. He was startled by the change in his voice. He froze when he saw Sky and his hands flew to his own new face and then his uniform. "I – I'm you!" he exclaimed and then pointed at Sky, a little bit accusingly. "And that must mean that you're me!"

"No," Sky said. "Not really. I think we're still ourselves. We've just changed bodies." Walking over to Z—or was it Syd?—he helped her to her feet.

"I feel like I got run over by the Delta 4 Runner," Z said, brushing off her now-pink uniform.

"And I look like it!" Syd cried, catching a glimpse of her reflection in the fountain. She began to hyperventilate. "This can't be happening!"

Z gritted her teeth. "When I find that alien—"

Jack nodded in agreement. "Hey, where did the monster go?" he asked the crowd of curious onlookers. One of them pointed down the street. Jack took a determined step in that direction, ready to hunt down the criminal and bring him to justice.

"We don't have time for this," Sky said. "He's long gone, and we have bigger things to worry about. We should report back to SPD headquarters."

"I'm in charge, and I say we search," Jack said, frustrated. Why did Sky always have to contradict him? Sky was his second-in-command, which meant that he was supposed to follow orders!

"And I say he's already gone!" Sky retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Rangers, return to SPD headquarters," Cruger commanded through their communicators. Jack threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. It might be irrational, but there was just something about the blue ranger that got on his nerves.

* * *

As the head scientist of SPD Earth, Kat had seen a lot of strange things over the years. Few, however, were as bizarre as this. The four members of B-squad were lined up in front of her, but in the wrong order. Even worse, the entire team insisted that they had been body-swapped.

It was like something out an old horror film.

There were only two options, and neither looked promising. Either the rangers had, due to some mysterious power, actually swapped bodies – or the entire team was suffering from some kind of group psychosis. In a way, she hoped it was the latter; insanity she could deal with. Her track record with mysterious powers was not the best.

Kat sighed, remembering past mistakes. How different everything would have been if that terrible lab accident had never happened!

'I shouldn't dwell on the past,' she reminded herself. 'There's nothing I can do to change it now. Doggie says that everything happens for a reason – perhaps these teenagers and their powers are needed to save the Earth.'

Pulling her attention back to the present, she watched as Doggie paced in front of his team, his arms clasped behind his back.

"So you're telling me that you," Cruger pointed at the Red Ranger, "are Sky and you," he pointed to the Blue Ranger, "are Jack?"

"Yes!"

Cruger narrowed his eyes and glared at the ranger who appeared to be Jack. "In that case, what is the full official name of the handbook?"

"The Space Patrol Delta Official Cadet Code of Conduct," Sky replied promptly, grateful that being stuck in Jack's body hadn't affected his memory. "The current version is revision number 38."

"Hm," Cruger replied and stroked his chin reflectively.

Kat's medical scanner beeped and the four rangers held their breath as she read the results. "Doggie, I'd have to run further tests, but it does seem like they've been body-swapped."

"Can you change us back?" Sky asked.

"I don't know," Kat replied. "As I said, I'd have to run further tests."

Cruger considered the options. "We cannot afford to have your enemies know that your team has been compromised," he said after a moment of thought.

Jack shrugged. "Easy enough. We'll just stay in our quarters until Kat finds a way to fix this."

"No," Cruger said, his mouth quirking into a wry grin. "Each of you has prior engagements and activities, and it would be suspicious if all four of you just disappeared."

"What – what are you saying?" Z asked. He couldn't possibly mean…

"I'm saying that you must pretend to be the person who's body you are currently occupying."

Syd flashed the commander a horrified look. "No offense, Commander, but you're kidding, right?"

Cruger shook his head. "I am completely serious, Cadet Drew. You will each review your teammates' schedules and activities, and adjust your plans accordingly."

"But—"

"I—"

"You can't—"

"Dismissed!" Cruger growled, ignoring their protests. The four cadets slowly filed out of the command center, mumbling under their breath.

As the door slid shut, Jack pulled Sky aside. "Don't forget," he said, as soon as they were alone. "I'm still in charge here."

Sky crossed his arm over his chest. "No, Jack. You're not. For all intents and purposes, I'm the red ranger, and you are my second-in-command."

The door of the command center slid open. Kat paused in front of the two rangers, the tension palpable in the air. "Is there a problem, cadets?"

"No, Dr. Manx," Sky said, gritting his teeth. Jack slowly nodded in agreement.

"Good," Kat said. She looked between the two of them and walked away, shaking her head and muttering something about difficult teenagers.

Taking a deep breath, Jack forced himself to calm down. His fist itched and it took all the self-control he could muster to resist the urge to wipe that arrogant look off of Sky's face. After all, it was his own face and he rather liked it. He would definitely regret breaking his own nose later, when Kat found a way to return them to their own bodies.

Conceding defeat for now, Jack turned to leave. "Enjoy yourself while it lasts," he said maliciously, shoving past the blue ranger.

"Don't worry," Sky murmured under his breath. "I will."

* * *

Jack had already returned to his room and opened the door partway when he realized a very important fact.

If he was supposed to pretend to be Sky, he was also expected to live in his room. And so he reluctantly retraced his steps back to the blue ranger's room, just down the hall.

The room was exactly as Jack suspected it would be: boring, empty and perfectly tidy. Even the empty half of the room was neat, the bed on that side seemingly untouched. 'That's strange,' Jack thought. 'I thought that only the Red Ranger had a private room.' And then it struck him. This bed must be meant for the owner of the S.P.D. 3 morpher.

'I wonder why they haven't chosen a fifth ranger?' He considered idly, sitting down on the edge of Sky's bed. He picked up a pillow and threw it across the room. It came to rest at the foot of the Sky's closet, looking terribly out of place compared to the ordered perfection of the rest of the room.

Crossing the room, he slid open the doors to the closet. At first glance, Sky's closet had only one item: the blue SPD uniform and several copies of it, at that. Catching a glimpse of dark fabric at the very back, Jack tugged and pulled until the outfit came free and found himself holding an old cadet uniform.

"Did this guy ever do anything aside from serve SPD?" Jack wondered. Even the most hard-core cadets had at least one set of civilian clothes for when they were off-duty. Jack put the uniform back and closed the closet. As he turned towards the window, something on the desk caught his eye.

Sky's desk had all the required equipment. A dictionary, a data pad and a small lamp. None of these interested Jack. What caught his eye was a metallic picture frame, positioned on the left side of the desk.

'What's this?' Jack thought. He picked it up and studied the photo. It was a picture of an old Red Ranger, standing with a little Sky. A happy little Sky. Happier than he had ever seen him.

Jack's dislike of Sky lessened a little bit. 'His father was the Red Ranger? That explains a few things. I wonder why he never talks about him.'

* * *

Alone in her room, Z studied herself in the mirror. She was no longer plain Z Delgado; instead, she was a blonde beauty, the kind everyone saw on glamorous magazines and shows. "You know," she told her reflection. "When you first joined the team, I was a little jealous. I mean, I'd always wanted to look like you. But now that I do—" Z sighed. "I miss my old body."

Sitting down in Syd's chair, Z put her head in her hands and stared out the window. A flowery smell drifted up to her nose and Z sniffed her sleeve in disgust. 'So,' she wondered, "if I were Ms. Pampered Princess, what would I be doing?"

Leaning backwards, she put her feet on the desk. Something clattered to the floor and Z leaned down to pick it up. It was an agenda and, like everything else on Syd's side of the room, it was fuzzy and pink.

She paused for a moment, her hand on the latch. She didn't always get along with her roommate, but reading the agenda felt like an invasion of Syd's privacy. 'Well, Cruger did order me to familiarize myself with her schedule,' Z told herself, dismissing a slight twinge of guilt.

Thumbing through the agenda, she scanned this week's entries. A few practice sessions, two photo shoots, several calorie counts, and later today – a dance? No, a ball. "I can't go to a ball!" Z exclaimed. "What am I going to wear?"

* * *

"Jack!" the pretty cadet cried, running to catch up. "Jack!"

It was a moment before Sky remembered who he was pretending to be. "Yes?" He replied, a little hesitantly.

The girl smiled up at him and brushed a light blue curl out of her face. "You're being awfully polite today," she said, grabbing him by the arm and confidently steering him away. "So, how about that lunch-date I mentioned. Surely even big, strong Red Rangers like you take breaks…" she batted her eyelashes and gave him a pleading look.

Sky shrugged, a little uncomfortable. 'Might as well go along with it,' he decided. 'Well, Sky, you always wanted to be Red Ranger. Now's your chance.'

"Why not?" He said to the pretty alien and led her away.

When Sydney Drew was angry, people got out of her way. Being stuck in Z's body hadn't changed that one bit. The sea of cadets parted as she stormed through them, and no one even protested when she slammed the bathroom door behind her.

'I can't go back to my room,' she thought, taking her towel and a basket bath accessories from her locker. 'Z might be there.' Syd felt an irrational twinge of anger towards the other girl and just as quickly dismissed it. 'It's not her fault this happened,' she reminded herself. 'It's not anyone's fault except for that monster.'

Sitting at the edge of the tub, she kicked off her shoes.

'I need a bath.' Syd realized. Bubble baths always made her feel better. They were so warm and relaxing –Turning on the water, she started to undress, only to pause in realization. 'I'm in Z's body. I don't want to see Z naked! What am I going to do?'

An announcement over the intercom solved her dilemma. "Rangers, report to simulation room 3!" Feeling relieved, Syd left the bathroom, leaving her rubber duckie behind and the water running.

* * *

The SPD simulation rooms were a masterpiece of engineering. It utilized the latest technology in order to produce realistic holographic environments. Every squad had several training sessions a week in them, which served to familiarize the cadets with the kinds of environments and enemies they might face in the real world.

This session, however, was not routine. "As part of my medical evaluation," Kat said, "I need to record any changes in your skills."

"What are we supposed to do?" Jack asked, feeling uncharacteristically nervous.

"You and your team will go through the holographic obstacle course; Boom and I will watch, and evaluate your performance." Boom waved at them from behind the glass observation window.

The four rangers gave her apprehensive looks. "Don't worry," Kat said. "You've done this dozens of times."

Z shook her head. "Not like this!"

"Exactly," Kat replied patiently. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Let's just get this over with." Sky said. An instant later, the walls of the room were replaced with the streets of Newtech city. Holograms of civilians surrounded them, ignoring the rangers as they hurried about their business. The wind whistled through the tall buildings and if this day had been any better, Z would have admired the realism of it all.

She did, of course, dodge to the side as a laser beam sliced through the air, scorching the ground near her feet. Drawing her blaster, she warily scanned the area – and was not at all surprised when, a moment later, a monster landed in front of them.

"Fight me, rangers!" the alien growled and ran towards the rangers, weapons drawn.

"Kat's not wasting any time, is she?" Syd said, falling into position.

Sky ignored her, intent on the task at hand. "Ready!" he shouted, beginning the morphing call.

"Ready!"

There was a brief pause.

"Ready," Jack said unenthusiastically.

"SPD Emergency!"

* * *

_A/N: Wow, I think that is a record for the longest update time for a story. The "Body Swap" story has two more chapters, both of which will be posted in the next couple weeks. Please review!_


	4. Body Swap, Part 2

A Different Path

**Chapter 4: Body Swap, Part 2**

**

* * *

**

They were losing. Not just a little bit, but spectacularly. Jack thought it was almost worth being thrown around to watch Sky lose his first battle as team leader.

Almost.

After all, the pavement didn't feel any softer just because it was a hologram.

He heard a thump nearby and turned his head to watch as Sky hit the ground and demorph. Pinning Sky from behind, the monster snatched the red morpher – his morpher! – and gave a sharp, high pitched laugh before dashing away.

"Hey," Jack shouted. He stumbled to his feet. "Give that back!"

"I don't think he's going to listen to you," Sky said. Jack rolled his eyes and the team set off in pursuit, but the monster was too fast and soon they were lagging behind.

"This is your fault," Jack said. "Just because you couldn't handle the red morpher—"

"Get over yourself," Sky snapped back, stopping in his tracks. "You're nothing special, just some criminal Cruger picked up off the streets."

"Tough talk from someone who just transferred from D-squad. You're only a ranger because everyone better than you died in battle!" The two rangers glared at each other, locked in a battle of wills.

"Look, we really don't have time for this," Z said. She pointed at the monster, who by now was only a tiny figure in the distance. "While you two fight over who's in charge, he's getting away!"

* * *

At some point, they had lost sight of the monster.

'If I were still red ranger,' Jack thought as he ran, 'I would leave Sky behind.' The blue ranger was unlikeable, egotistical, self-centered and he couldn't even morph, which was slowing them down. And Sky had his body, which he wanted back in the same condition that he had left it –

Jack nearly collided with Sky as the other cadet came to a sudden stop. Jack looked up and noticed that they were at an intersection, and the road they had been on came to a sudden end in a few hundred feet. They had to turn – but which way?

"I think we should split up," Jack said, taking a step to the left.

"No," Sky said. "We don't know anything about this alien's capabilities. We should stay together."

"You know," Jack retorted, "sometimes real Rangers have to take risks. Do what you want, but I'm going this way to get my morpher."

"Fine," Sky said. "I would order you to follow me, but you don't listen to anyone but yourself!"

"Maybe," Jack said, already leaving down the other road. He waited to see if Z would follow him but she shook her head and looked away. "That still doesn't explain why I'm Red Ranger, not you."

Sky scowled darkly and continued down his chosen path, the two girls trailing a short distance behind. Syd and Z looked at each other and shrugged. What was it with those two? They usually fought, but it was never as bad as this!

'I hope they find a way to switch us back soon,' Syd thought and sighed. 'I don't know how much more of this I can take.'

* * *

There were few things Jack hated more than being wrong.

Yes, he occasionally made mistakes. In even rarer moments, he actually admitted it. This was shaping up to be one of those times.

He had already run for quite a while, and so far there was no sign of the monster. Was he really that far behind? He should have caught up by now. Jack paused for a moment, and considered his next move.

'Why does this always happen?' Jack though. Sky just _had_ to be right – and the blue ranger would definitely rub it in. Jack kicked a stray stone and it skipped across the ground before falling down the grate of a storm drain. How did Cruger expect them to work together when they couldn't have a conversation without shouting at each other?

'I can't wait here,' Jack realized. 'If they're fighting that monster, they probably need my help.'

* * *

Jack heard the battle before he saw it. The sound of laser fire echoed off the glass facades of the buildings. He arrived just in time to watch Sky tackle the monster and made a grab for the morpher, only to be kicked aside by a clawed foot.

"Looks like you needed some help," Jack said. Rushing towards the monster with the stolen morpher, he drew his striker and attacked.

Sky backed away and watched the battle, searching for any opportunity to grab the morpher. Jack was stronger and more powerful, but the monster was faster and easily blocked most of his blows. And then the alien began to take the offensive, forcing Jack to retreat between two cars.

'I guess that's my cue.' Sky thought, and jumped into the fray. He attacked from behind, forcing the monster to fight on two fronts.

"I have it," Jack said. "I don't need your help."

"What's your problem?" Sky hissed. He was so angry that he lost concentration for an instant, long enough for the alien to strike and send him reeling off-balance.

Later, Jack wouldn't exactly know what made him take such a huge risk. Drawing his blaster, he fired – the alien, however, was faster. Leaping high into the air, the beam flew beneath it the very instant Sky got to his feet.

Sky cried out and tried to duck, but it was too late. The blast hit him straight on and the simulation melted away, leaving them standing in the training room.

* * *

"Look," Jack said. "I'm sorry –"

"Don't bother," Sky interrupted icily. "You did that on purpose."

"You think I planned for it to happen that way? You're the one who lost the morpher," Jack said. "What kind of ranger are you, anyhow?"

"A better one than you!"

"I get it. You think that just because you had a cushy life, and your father was red ranger –"

"Don't ever talk about my father again!" Sky shouted. All Jack could think about was how strange it was to see himself looking so wounded. "This – this is all your fault. Everything was fine until you showed up!"

"Oh," Jack said with a heavy dose of sarcasm in his voice. "I get it. Because you're jealous of me, suddenly everything – the alien invaders, the giant robots, everything – is my fault?"

"Yes! I mean – no." Sky bit his lip and flushed.

"That's enough," Kat interrupted, eyeing them both sternly. Jack had almost forgotten she was there, watching their every move. "Sky, calm down. Jack, you've proved your point."

"No, I don't think I have," Jack said. He shoved Sky hard enough to make him stumble backwards. "You know what, Sky? I think that the real problem here is _you_."

* * *

The rangers had left only minutes ago when Cruger arrived at the simulation rooms. "Are they fit for duty?"

Kat shook her head. "Doggie, I think that C-squad should take over all non-essential duties. I know that we mustn't alert Mirloc to B-squad's situation, but to send them on mission now could be very dangerous. It's risky, but I don't think we have a choice."

* * *

During his long and illustrious career as galactic conqueror, Mirloc had learned that the fastest way to win a war was to know his enemies. Even before he announced his presence and gave the world his ultimatum, Mirloc always installed sensors that allowed him to observe the surface of the soon-to-be-vanquished planets.

It provided him with a tactical advantage: he always knew the battlefield and, most importantly, he knew his opponents. He watched the power rangers and learned their habits. He knew their fighting styles. He knew their patrol times. And today he knew, without a doubt, that something was wrong.

Mirloc cursed the scientist who had discovered a way to shield the insides of SPD headquarters from his sensors. He had reserved a particularly nasty fate for that particular resident of Earth, who right not was safely shielded inside her own invention.

'No matter,' Mirloc considered. Like all of his enemies, she would eventually surrender or meet an unfortunate end. Besides, he had more immediate concerns. Something was wrong with the rangers, and he was going to find out what. "Bridge!"

The empath appeared from the shadows and stood beside his mentor.

"I have a mission for you."

* * *

'I can't believe I have to do this,' Syd thought. When she had told the bus driver to let her off in the neighborhood, he had given her an odd look, but Syd had brushed it off. Now Syd was alone in the shabbiest, most run-down neighborhood she had ever seen. The beautiful sunset did nothing to improve this area of town. The street looked like a war-zone, and the long shadows stretching from the dilapidated buildings made her nervous.

Until today, she hadn't even known places like this existed within Newtech City. How did people live like this? She had the strange feeling that she was being watched. Syd spun around and carefully studied her surroundings. She didn't see anyone – but that didn't mean much. There were plenty of places someone could be hiding. Syd shrugged it off. She was probably just paranoid and besides, anyone who messed with her would regret it.

Unfolding a piece of paper, she looked at the directions and began to walk. Syd counted down the street numbers until she arrived a tall building on the corner. 'This is it,' she thought, looking at a faded sign that said "Southdale Community Center". Who would have thought that Z would hang around in a place like this? White paint was peeling off the front of the building and a window at the front was cracked. But someone had taken the time to carefully tend the garden and Syd could see a few flowers peeking up at the edges of the walkway.

Gingerly opening the door, she walked up the creaky steps, and was immediately greeted by at a few dozen women of varying ages and species, all of whom were waiting for her.

"Sorry I'm late," Syd said. "The bus was running behind. Are we ready to begin?"

"Yes," they chorused and spread out across uneven the floor.

"Then let's get started," the pink ranger said. "For all the new girls here, this is a women's self-defense class—"

* * *

He followed his target until she entered the building, and then resigned himself to waiting outside. As he waited, shivering in the cold, it began to rain, first in tiny, scattered droplets which gradually grew into a roaring downpour. Bridge wiped the rain from his face and crouched in the shadows, hiding in the dark.

* * *

Finally escaping her admiring students, Syd left the building an hour and a half later. Unfolding her umbrella, she began to walk back to the bus stop.

She would never admit it to Z, but she had actually had fun. Her students were so grateful and Syd realized that she was making a real difference in their lives. 'I guess SPD isn't the only place to do that,' Syd concluded. It was a possibility she had never really considered.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the dark figure who slipped out from behind a broken wall and began to follow her. Bridge took off his glove and prepared to scan her, only to draw back into the shadows, sensing someone's approach.

"Z, wait!" a tiny teenager exclaimed, running to catch up.

It took Syd a moment to remember the girl's name. "Brianna?" This student was a newcomer to the class, but Syd could already tell that she had potential, and determination to succeed. If only she could get over her shyness –

"I just wanted to say," Brianna began in a rush, "that I really admire what you're doing here."

"Thank you," Syd replied, touched. The other girl smiled and left, and Syd continued walking to the bus stop, carefully navigating between the puddles on the slippery street. If she had looked back at the moment, she would have seen her stalker sweep his hand in her direction and then pause before replacing his gloves.

But she didn't. A strange sensation passed over her, and she spun around, but it was too late. He was already gone.

* * *

Sky didn't appear of have any activities, or any sort of hobbies at all, outside of SPD. When Jack had confronted him, and asked what he was expected to do with his time, the blue ranger had suggested that he research their enemy. If not, he could always read the handbook.

This was probably Sky's idea of punishment. Jack had tried to muster up a half-hearted apology but the blue ranger was in no mood to listen. That was how he found himself staring at a datapad, under the pretense of doing research. Oh, he had tried to pay attention, but after ten minutes of studying the layout of Mirloc's ship, Jack was bored out of his mind. Even reading the list of Mirloc's crimes generated little interest, and so Jack turned to idly flipping through SPD personnel files.

Names and ranks of cadets scrolled by, along with a whole slew of personal information which, as Red Ranger, he had free access to. Seeing his own name, he studied the file. There was a long list of criminals who he had captured, and the occasional crime which he had committed – not all of which he had been detained for. How did Cruger find out all of this? Jack decided that he didn't really want to know. Might as well let sleeping dogs lie.

Leaving his file, he continued scrolling through the personnel files, only to glimpse a familiar name: _Tate, Schuyler_. Still feeling a little vindictive, he scanned the first paragraph of the file.

_Name: Schuyler "Sky" Tate_

_Rank: B-Squad Blue Ranger_

_Status: Current_

_Born: October 3__rd__, 2005_

_Mother: Tate, Sarah A._

_Father:__ Tate, Ryan L._

Remembering the photo in Sky's room, he clicked on the name and waited for the new record to appear.

_Name: Ryan Tate_

_Rank: A-Squad Red Ranger._

He already knew that. It was the next line that caught his attention.

_Status: Deceased. Incident Report is Classified (Level 3)_

For a moment, he just stared at the screen, puzzled. Sky's father was dead? And the record was classified? Why?

Using a trick Z had taught him, Jack accessed the classified file. Morbid curiosity inspired him to read further.

_Incident Report: December 24__th__, 2010._

The report detailed a battle between the A-squad Ranger team and a notorious criminal that they had been send to apprehend.

As far as Jack could tell, the battle had been furious and the damage to Newtech City extensive. The file was filled with pictures of rubble and destruction and the written report described the stages of the battle in great detail.

However, it was a single line, two paragraphs from the bottom, which caught his attention.

_The A-squad red ranger, Ryan Tate, died in combat during an attempt to apprehend the target. Three of his teammates also died after the collapse of a support beam within the building._

_The criminal was identified as Mirloc, who had escaped from Prison 1304-A on May 16__th__ 2008._

Jack paused, horrified, and wished he had never found out. Did Sky know? He didn't know the blue ranger very well, but his teammate had never mentioned something like that.

Should he mention it? No. Sky was a very private individual and he would be furious to find out that Jack had been snooping around his files. Besides, he probably already knew about Mirloc.

Someone would have told him… right?

* * *

_A/N: Please review!_


	5. Body Swap, Part 3

A Different Path

**Chapter 5: Body Swap (Part 3)**

* * *

For the first time in her life, Z felt like a princess. Hours of primping and preening had paid off. She was gorgeous -- or rather, Syd was gorgeous. 'Let's not sweat the small stuff, Z,' She reminded herself. 'This is your chance to play Cinderella.'

The elegant black limo pulled up to the hotel. As the door opened, Z was nearly blinded by the cameras and the flashing lights. Taking the offered hand of her very handsome escort, she stepped out onto the red carpet, careful not to step on the hem of her dress. "Glad you could make it, Sydney," her date said, taking her by the arm.

Z nodded, having been instructed not to speak. Syd had tried to teach her the names, faces and manners she would need to function in high society. In the end, the pink ranger had given up and snapped that she was there to be seen but not heard and not to ruin her reputation.

"You look beautiful," her date complimented and kissed her on the cheek.

Z smiled. She could get used to this.

The reporters took more pictures.

* * *

High above Newtech City, Mirloc stood in his headquarters and waited. From the windows in his command center, he had unobstructed views of the planet below, a world which he thought of only as his next conquest.

Sitting down, he tapped his fingers against the edge of his chair and waited for Bridge to return from Earth. He was not overly concerned. Bridge would come back – he always did. The empath had nowhere else to go; he had made sure of that.

A henchman informed him the instant Bridge teleported back to the ship. Bridge soon appeared in the command center, giving his master a respectful bow. "What do you have to report?" Mirloc said in a deceptively soft voice.

"You were right," Bridge dutifully reported. "There is something wrong with the yellow ranger. I didn't get a chance to scan the other three, but her aura -- her colors -- seemed off. It was like she was a different person or two people at once. Or maybe -- "

Mirloc silenced Bridge with a reproachful look. The empath had an unfortunate habit of rambling on when he was asked a question."Interesting," the monster reflected, wondering how he could use this information against the rangers.

"What are you going to do?" Bridge asked. He thought about the ranger he had scanned. Her aura wasn't evil or anything, which was kind of strange, considering the awful things Mirloc had told him about the SPD and the rangers. Maybe she was misguided and would come around to their side. He would like that. It was sometimes very lonely around the ship.

"I think it's time we hired some outside help," Mirloc said, and they both turned to face the blue planet, slowly turning below them.

* * *

Her feet hurt. Her head hurt. The ballroom glittered from top to bottom, but all Z could think about was the glare and how much it hurt her eyes.

Looking beautiful was more exhausting than it seemed. Two hours of posing graceful and struggling not to stumble over her dress had proved more tiring than fighting criminals could ever be. Once, she had envied girls like Syd and their extravagant lifestyle. 'No more,' Z thought sourly. 'She can keep it.'

The yellow ranger shaped her mouth into what she hoped was a passable imitation of a smile as another socialite greeted her. A dark shadow flitted across the corner of her eye, but Z dismissed it as a figment of her imagination.

An older man approached her, and Z was so tired that it took her a moment to recognize Syd's father. "Mayor," Mr. Drew said, pulling her gently towards a large group of people. "I'd like you to meet my daughter, Sydney."

"Sydney has become a member of SPD – " Mr. Drew continued, only to be interrupted by the arrival of his wife, who flashed the mayor her most charming smile.

"A fad she will surely outgrow," Syd's mother purred, sparing her daughter a dismissive glance.

"Perhaps," Z said, not believing it for a second. If this was the kind of life Syd came from, no wonder she had been so eager to join SPD. High above, between the golden curtains and the wall, the shadow hung motionless. If anyone had looked, they would have seen its eyes flash red.

* * *

The alarm sounded at SPD headquarters.

"Doggie," Kat said. "The perpetrator has been spotted downtown." She put video footage of a bank robbery on the viewing screen. They could see Hothos inside, stuffing handfuls of cash into bags as the terrified customers and tellers cowered behind the counters.

Kat hesitated. "Should I call the rangers?"

"No," Doggie growled, pressing a button. "C-squad, report to the command center!"

* * *

Hothos evaluated and dismissed the five cadets with a single scathing look. Was this the best the planet had to offer? "Do you really think you can defeat me?" the criminal said scornfully.

"Yes!" C-squad drew their blasters and fired.

* * *

Broodwing strode through the narrow hallways of Mirloc's ship, his black cape sweeping behind him. Entering the control room, he gave a curt bow to his newest employer.

"Broodwing," Mirloc said, "have you investigated the Rangers?"

"I have," The bat replied, "And what I have learned is most interesting. But it will cost you."

Mirloc's eyes flashed. "I have paid you enough!" he snapped his fingers and Broodwing was suddenly surrounded by shadowy reflectodrones, who slowly circled the mercenary. "Now tell me, or else."

Broodwing gulped. "In that case, I have recently discovered that the Rangers have been body-swapped. In fact, they have been so weakened that Cruger has assigned a lesser squad to their duties."

"How did this happen?" Bridge asked, curious. He had never heard of anyone being body-swapped before.

"A criminal, by the name of Hothos." Broodwing studied the human. Why would Mirloc keep such a primitive, pathetic creature around? There must be something special about him. "Hothos seems to have a unique genetic ability."

"Perhaps this Hothos can defeat the Power Rangers," Mirloc pondered, stroking his chin.

Noticing that Mirloc was lost in thought, Broodwing backed away. "My, look at the time," the mercenary said quietly. "I'll just be going. " Mirloc ignored the bat, trusting him to find his own way out. Bridge, however, removed his gloves and covertly scanned the mercenary.

"Broodwing can't be trusted," Bridge said softly. "He's very evil."

"So they say," Mirloc replied, an unreadable expression on his face.

* * *

The C-squad leader cried out as he was thrown through a window. He shielded his face as glass rained down upon him. 'I have to get up,' he thought. 'My team is depending on me!'

He reached for his blaster, wincing at the twinge of pain in his side. His fingers brushed the weapon but Hothos kicked it away. The cadet groaned in dismay and glared up at Hothos.

"I win," the monster declared boldly, admiring his work. The front of the bank was in pieces, the ground covered with glass and debris. Hothos deliberately stepped on a fallen cadet on his way out the door.

"No…" the cadet moaned and tried to rise, before slumping back to the floor unconscious.

* * *

"Doggie," Kat said, watching the battle from the command center. "C-squad is in trouble!"

Cruger sighed. "It seems we have no choice. Kat, call the rangers."

* * *

Four morphers beeped simultaneously.

"I have to go," Z said. She pulled her carefully concealed morpher out of her dress, ignoring a nasty look from Mrs. Drew. Kicking off her heels, she ran from the ballroom, hailing the first cab she saw.

* * *

Syd dropped the hairbrush in frustration. Z had impossibly unruly hair that refused to be tamed by either combing or straightening. She was just about to reach for the scissors when her morpher beeped.

* * *

Jack had just fallen into an uneasy sleep, haunted by battles and the maniacal laughter of Mirloc. When the morpher beeped, he rolled out of bed and ran to the garage, only barely remembering to take the blue cycle.

* * *

The pretty alien cadet blew Sky a kiss and waved as he passed by on the red patrol cycle. Sky smirked and bent forward, revving the engine to catch up to Jack.

* * *

The four rangers arrived at the bank at the same time. Sky and Jack both gawked as Z stepped out of the cab in her formal gown. "Are you just going to stare at me or are we going to do our jobs?" she demanded and glared as Jack stifled a laugh.

"Right," Sky said. They approached the bank warily, blasters drawn. Hothos took the time to toss a final bag of money into the back of a van before turning to face them. "Hello, pink ranger," the criminal sneered, "or are you the yellow ranger? I can never seem to keep my colors straight."

"You're under arrest," Sky said. Behind the monster, he could see the members of C-squad limping away, leaning on each other heavily for support.

"I don't think so." Hothos grinned and drew his shock baton. "Rangers, do you remember this?"

"We can take anything you've got," Sky challenged. "Ready!"

For once, Jack didn't argue. "Ready!"

"SPD Emergency!"

* * *

Hothos ducked behind his get-away van, just as blaster fire riddled the car with holes. He waited until the rangers came closer and jumped over the car, before drawing his shock baton, striking the ground hard enough to crack the pavement.

Jack jumped away just in time, as a wave of electricity traveled across the ground, knocking the rest of the team to the ground. Drawing his striker, Jack rushed at the criminal, hitting his opponent across the chest.

The monster staggered backwards. His many eyes glowed with desperation, as he fell on a towering billboard. Before the rangers could stop him, Hothos aimed a powerful kick at the supporting pole, leaving a deep dent. A woman screamed and covered her head, as the sign creaked and wobbled precariously before beginning to topple down on her hiding place.

Sky caught it just in time. Even morphed, the billboard was crushingly heavy, and he groaned with the effort of holding it up. "Run!" he gritted out. The woman stared at him for a second, frozen with fear, before dashing to safety.

Hothos simply laughed and blasted Sky with another bolt of electricity. Sky gritted his teeth as he sunk further towards the ground, the billboard pinning him with its weight.

The monster approached the incapacitated ranger. "What do you think would happen if I hit him with this again now?" Hothos said to the other rangers, giving them a vicious grin. He idly twirled the shock baton as he watched Sky struggle. "You have a choice. You can try to contain me – but not before I blast your friend here. Or you can let me go, and I might let him live."

In that horrible moment, Jack realized the monster was right. Sky – and by extension, his own body – was in serious danger. If his suit took too much damage, Sky might demorph and be crushed. Jack slowly put his hands up as a sign of surrender.

The monster smirked. "You're smart… for a human." His hand twitched slightly, and Jack reacted on pure instinct.

Moving faster than he ever had before, Jack positioned himself in front of Sky, just as the monster fired. He winced and hunched over in pain, dropping to the ground, as he absorbed the full force blast. Taking a slow painful breath, Jack forced himself to his feet and helped Sky lift the billboard. "Actually, I've made my choice," he said, turning to face the astonished monster. "I can do both. I'm going to save my teammate, and I'm going to bring you in."

Hothos spun around, only to find himself surrounded. Syd and Z encircled him, both pointing their blasters steadily at him. "Impossible!" he cried and stared at each in turn. "I switched you. You're weak, vulnerable!"

"Well," Sky said, finally catching his breath. "You don't know much about our technology, then."

Z caught on to his plan immediately. "Yeah, do I look like I'm the yellow ranger?" She struck the most girly pose she could muster.

Jack sighed inwardly. "That's right. By the regulations of SPD, we're bringing you in!"

"I don't think so," Hothos said. 'They must have found a way to reverse the effect,' he thought. 'But I can fix that.'

And then the four rangers experienced the familiar feeling of vertigo, as they were returned to their old bodies. But this time, the dizziness passed quickly and by the time they recovered, the monster was no more than a dozen feet away.

"Stop right there," Jack shouted at the fleeing criminal. Hothos was thrown to the ground, as the rangers fired on him. Jack unclipped his containment cuffs and approached the defeated monster.

* * *

"What an unfortunate turn of events," Mirloc said, crossing his arms in front of his armored chest. He had watched the entire battle from his control room, taking great interest in the proceedings.

Bridge shrugged. "Maybe we should try the reflective enlarger?"

"An excellent idea," Mirloc hissed, reaching for a lever on the dark blue panel.

* * *

In a single, last ditch attempt to escape capture, Hothos stumbled to his feet.

Sky shook his head. "It's over. Just surrender."

For an instant, the criminal seemed to seriously considering it. But before he could speak, the sky darkened ominously and three mirrors hovered in the air above him.

"Another trick?" Jack said. "How many does this guy have up his sleeve?"

As the mirrors aligned, they reflected a blinding light between then, soon engulfing Hothos in a brilliant glow. The monster screamed in pain and began to grow until he towered over the skyline.

"Whoa!" Z exclaimed. "Did I miss something?"

Hothos took a step, and his giant foot came hurtling down from the heavens. "I will crush you," he ranted, as the rangers scattered and rolled out of the way.

* * *

"I'm calling the Delta Runners," Kat said. The runners' autopilot function quickly guided the vehicles to the heart of the action, in the very center of Newtech city.

"Finally!" Jack exclaimed and jumped into the cockpit of his Runner. "I've been wanting to drive this thing for ages!"

"Sky – Jack – whoever you are! Red ranger," Cruger barked, "combine the Delta Runners to form the Megazord."

"Right," Jack said. "Everyone follow me!" Somehow, and afterward he was never completely sure how, the Runners came together, combining to form…

"The Delta Four Megazord!"

Z looked around curiously, gawking at the advanced technology contained inside the Megazord cockpit. "This is incredible," she said and Syd nodded in agreement.

"Let's finish this," Jack said, and the entire team turned their attention to the super-sized monster in front of them. If they could have seen within the command center, they would have noticed Anubis "Doggie" Cruger smile in satisfaction.

* * *

Hothos screamed in fury as he was thrown backwards by a well-placed punch from the megazord. He groaned and flailed his legs as he slowly shrank back to his normal size.

"Judgment mode!" Jack said, jumping out of the megazord. "You are charged with murder, kidnapping, robbery and resisting arrest." The indicator flashed back and forth, between green and red, before settling on a single outcome. "Guilty!"

They fired on the criminal, confining him to a card. "Now that," Jack said, "was cool." He demorphed and was pleased to see that he was back in his own body.

"Yeah," Z agreed. "I'm glad everything is back to normal."

"Not everything," Jack replied. He turned to Sky, who was watching him warily.

"You saved me back there," Sky said. The blue ranger frowned. "Was it just because I had your body?"

Jack shook his head. "No, we're a team, and you're part of it. Cruger was right. We have to work together in order to win this war. So from now on, let's try to work with, instead of against, each other. Deal?" He held out his hand.

Sky hesitated, searching Jack's face for any deception. Finding none, he took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Deal."

* * *

"Okay, 'fess up." Z demanded, giving her roommate a pointed look. "Who flooded the bathroom?"

Syd studied her nails. "What makes you think I had anything to do with it?"

Z took her hands from behind her back, revealing a bright yellow rubber duck. The toy squeaked in protest as she squeezed it. "I found this floating down the hallway. I guess you don't want it back." She began to walk towards the trash bin. "Oh, well."

"Wait," Syd cried, grabbing the duck. "Maybe I did – but it was an accident! I was so upset about being in your body, that I – "

Z waved off her explanation. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone. It can be our little secret."

At that moment, Jack walked into the rec room. "What's this about a secret?" he asked curiously.

"Secret? What secret?" Syd asked the red ranger in her sweetest voice. "Maybe it's the secret involving you, and a very pretty d-squad cadet?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, a friend on D-squad told me about it and gave me these pictures." Syd pulled a set of photos from her pocket, each of which showed a pretty alien cadet with blue hair, sitting uncomfortably close to someone who appeared to be Jack.

"What?" Jack exclaimed, outraged. "How – I wasn't even there!" Then he realized the culprit. "Sky!" He was fully prepared to march off and confront the blue ranger, but then Syd caught his arm, laughter dancing in her eyes.

"Don't worry," she said, batting her eyelashes. "Maybe, just this once, I'll let you make it up to me." Jack gulped as the pink ranger gracefully rose and left the room with a satisfied grin on her face, blond hair swirling behind her.

* * *

**Next: "Blind Date" -- Bridge finds himself in more trouble than he can handle after Z mistakes him for her date.**

_A/N: Please review!_


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